2021 in Review
As we close another chapter and 2022 begins, we’re looking back on another impactful year at Huru with an abundance of gratitude.
We started 2021 prepared and eager to reach as many girls as we could with menstrual products and reproductive and sexual health information. Huru’s new innovations made it possible for us to navigate the ever-changing pandemic protocols to manage safely and effectively a range of local and regional distributions and connect with people both face-to-face and online, especially with the help of our learning app, Free2. With generous support from donors and partners along the way, we are proud of the impact we’ve made:
270,000+ girls and boys were provided with sexual and reproductive health information
16,300+ girls received Huru pads
12,500+ parents were educated
Huru distributions and outreach
Despite pandemic restrictions, we found innovative ways to continue reaching girls with menstrual pads and sexual and reproductive health information. We had to adapt here and there (like going door-to-door to girls’ homes!), but our mission has always remained the same.
So throughout 2021, we worked with partners to make Free2 accessible across Kenya (more on this below) and to bring our high-quality pads to girls who most needed them. Of course, all distributions led by Huru followed COVID-19 safety measures, including wearing masks and spacing out when possible. Often in Kenyan schools, students are cramped together to fit into small-sized classrooms, so we ensured our team and the girls had masks and were wearing them throughout the sessions.
Teaching young women job skills
In 2021, Kenya was able to reopen schools and colleges, which also included technical programs. And so, we were excited to restart our Skills Development Program, which uplifts vulnerable young women from Nairobi’s informal settlements and provides them with marketable industrial sewing and tailoring skills, basic financial literacy education and tools they need to safeguard their well-being. This training program acts as a gateway toward economic and personal independence.
Thanks to the generosity of a group of donors, Huru could recruit and train 60 young women from Nairobi to better equip them to find permanent jobs or start businesses of their own (many already have!). Another group of donors is sponsoring a class of 30+ young women who will start the program this month. The women learn how to make all types of garments and items, including Huru’s reusable menstrual pads, of course!
Women in the program learn to make clothes including collared shirts, dresses, skirts, etc. Here, a graduate of the program is wearing an outfit she made and holding up a skirt that she made as well!
Exciting partnerships throughout 2021
We were so grateful to have begun 2021 with several ongoing partner-funded projects. Here are some of the big ones that we wanted to share with you:
UNICEF: The 2021 project with UNICEF used Free2 to provide sexual and reproductive health information to girls and boys in households within Nairobi’s informal settlements. We expanded the online lessons in our Free2 app to also include COVID-19 prevention information and proper handwashing techniques so participants were reminded how best to keep safe.
In addition, we worked with UNICEF to distribute over 5,400 menstrual kits to girls who needed them most in the communities. Ultimately, the project reached over 200,000 community members with health and hygiene information and resources, in addition to those who received kits.
Mpesa Foundation: This project included the recruitment of mentors to provide support to 40,000 adolescents (30,000 girls and 10,000 boys) from three different counties in Kenya, and also to supply them with hygiene products. Huru’s key role consisted of the recruitment of mentors, the provision of sexual and reproductive health information via Free2, and the logistics of getting the hygiene kits to the project participants.
The project outcomes included:
Improved school attendance during the time girls had access to the disposable pads
Increased knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and menstruation
Better communication about sexual and reproductive health matters between participating parents and their children
The biggest recommendation that we offered was to provide girls with reusable menstrual pads in the future to ensure a sustainable impact. Because as you know, Huru’s all about long-term solutions and reusable products. : )
This is L.: This is L. is a long-time partner of Huru and has been helping us support girls across Kenya since 2017. So, 2021 was no different. L. supported over 9,500 girls with Huru’s menstrual kits which are filled with everything they need to manage their periods for 2+ years including Huru’s reusable pads, underwear, soap, etc. Plus, each girl received access to Huru’s sexual and reproductive health education, empowering them to make informed decisions about their bodies and dream big.
The Cycle donors helped girls every month of 2021
We literally gush over our monthly donors - a group of dedicated Huru supporters who make up a community we lovingly call The Cycle. And in 2021, that growing community helped us smash our goals! Thanks to their continued generosity they help us reach more girls more often. And the very best part about The Cycle is that we hold a monthly distribution in members’ honor. As a result, hundreds and hundreds of girls received Huru Kits thanks to The Cycle in 2021. And we’re anticipating an even greater impact in 2022!
Velnah, who leads our monthly distributions, wrote a letter to The Cycle at the end of 2021. You can read it here!
In summary…
None of this would have been possible without the generosity and support of you, our donors, and partners. Every time you give, share our work with a friend, or talk about the struggles that girls are facing with their periods… you are making a big difference.
And you made it Huru’s biggest fundraising year yet! Which means 2022 is going to be FILLED with more good news of girls’ futures being changed. All because of your support.
We are truly thankful
We can’t think of a better way to start 2022 than with hearts so full they may burst.
This community means everything to us and to the girls that we work with throughout East Africa. Thank you endlessly for standing beside us - these past couple of years especially.
We hope your 2022 is off to a very hopeful start, and we’re excited to continuing working together to ensure that no girl is limited by her period.
With our immense gratitude always,
Your friends at Huru